Groff ' 9 Byers in
BY JACK HUBLEY
LANCASTER Andy Groff got
his FFA career off to a flying start
on Thursday. In his first year of
FFA competition, the 14-year-old
Lampeter-Strasburg student went
home with both grand champion
and reserve champion
heavyweight honors in Lancaster
County’s 23rd annual FFA Market
Hog Show held at Lancaster
Stockyards.
Show judge Larry Arnold of
Womelsdorf, gave Groff’s
homegrown Duroc-York barrow
the highest marks amid a field of
94 hogs in this year’s show.
And, according to the young
exhibitor, his 230-pound blue
ribbon porker, also named the
show’s middleweight champion,
Grand champion market hog in this year's Lancaster
County FFA Market Hog Show was exhibited by Andy Groff
(left). Doug Clemens took the blue-ribbon porker back to
Hatfield for $3 per pound.
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just may be the type of hog to beat
this season. “ITiis year I hear
they’re going for a deeper pig, and
most of my pigs are that type,”
said Groff.
Groff’s reserve champion in the
heavyweight division was also a
York-Duroc cross, a bit heavier at
245 pounds. Both hogs were bred
and raised on the family’s 12(K-sow
farrowing operation on Lampeter
Road near Lancaster.
Though Thi' r,! ' 1 -v’£ win rr>'> rVor '
Groff’s debut in FFa hog com
petition, the son of John R. and
Mary Sue Groff is no stranger to
the showring, having exhibited
swine as a 4-H’er for five years.
And shadowing Groff from the
competition’s beginning was Jeff
Byers of Holtwood. Byers’ 230-
Automatic Turkey
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410 EAST LINCOLN AVE. MYERSTOWN, PA 17067
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close FFA hog show race
pound Duroc-Spot gilt placed
second in its class to Groff’s
champion, then went on to be
named reserve in the mid
dleweight division, and finally
reserve champion overall.
The son of John R. and Joan M.
Byers, Jeff bought his winning pig
from Keith Bard of Lewistown. A
three-year veteran of FFA hog
competition, Byers prefers a
Duroc cross for the showring.
The Solanco High School junior
is raising nine pigs for this year’s
show season and hopes to repeat
his 1984 grand champion win at the
Solanco Fair.
In sale action following the show,
Hatfield Packing went home with
the show’s two top hogs, bidding $3
per pound for Groffs grand
champion and $1.40 for Byers’
reserve.
Receipts totalled $11,162 for the
show’s 94 hogs, for a sale average
of 52 cents including champions,
and 48 cents without champions.
Hatfield proved to be the most
active buyer, offering the top bid
for 32 hogs, with White Oak Mills of
Manheim purchasing 18. Other
buyers included Leidy Meats,
Willie the Butcher, Mert McCoy,
Walter M. Dunlap and Sons,
Stoltzfus Meats, Inc., S.L. Heilbron
and Gehman’s Feed Mill.
Following are results of the
show, including placings in
showing and fitting competition
held in conjunction with the event.
1 Neil Geib Penn Manor 2 Michelle Dean
Lampeter Strasburg 3 Cliff Horning E Lane Co
1 EarlSauder E Lane Co 2 Steve Horning E
Lane Co 3 Nelson Horning E Lan Co
1 Jere Hoover Penn Manor 2 Jay Lowen
sberrv Penn Manor 3 MikePfantz Ephrata
Swine & Poultry Systems Specialists
FFA Hog Show
2001 b Class
205 lb Class
210 lb Class
2151 b Cl*u
1 Michelle Dean L S 2 Steven Heisey E town
3 Andy Groff L S
2201 b Class
1 Margaret Herr E Lane Co 2 Earl Sauder
E Lane Co 3 Seab Bailey E Lane Co
225 lb Class
l Mike Ptautz Ephrata 2 Steve Heisey E
town 3 JohnSummy Manheim Central
2301 b Class
1 Andy Groff L S 2 Jeff Byers Solanco 3
Margaret Herr E Lane Co
235 lb Class
1 Steven Heisey E town 2 Sheldon Heisey E
town 3 Neil Geib Penn Manor
240 lb Class
1 Margaret Herr E Lane Co 2 Michelle Dean
L S 3 Tim Ptautz
2451 b Class
1 Andy Groff L S 2 Craig Kreider Solanco 3
Floyd Huber E Lane Co
250 lb Class
1 Mike Ptautz Ephrata 2 Scott Bailey E Lane
Co 3 Delvm Huber E Lane Co
Breeder Exhibitor
I Mike Ptautz 2 Tim Ptautz
Champion Lightweight
F “nyder
Hatfield was also high bidder for the reserve champ. Shown
above are exhibitor Jeff Byers and Hatfield’s Ezra H. Good.
Automatic Broiler
AUGER FEEDING
SYSTEM
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Reserve Champion Lightweight
Michelle Dean
Champion Middleweight
Andy Groff
Reserve Champion Middleweight
Jeff Byers
Champion Heavyweight
Mike Pfautz
Reserve Champion Heavyweight
Andy Groff
Grand Champion
Andy Groff
Reserve Grand Champion
Jeff Byers
Jr Fitting
1 Steve Horning E Lane Co 2 Sheldon
Heisey E town 3 Sean Bailey E Lane Co
Jr Showmanship
1 Sheldon Heisey E town 2 Jay Lowensberry
Penn Manor 3 Andy Groff LS
1 Margaret Herr E Lane Co 2 Steve Heisey
E town 3 Michelle Dean L S
Sr Showmanship
1 Michelle Dean L S 2 Steve Heisey E town
3 Magaret Herr E Lane Co
FEED CONVERSION
PERFORMANCE
THAT PRODUCES
PROFITS
MVC
Sr Fitting
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